Veteran Journalist Ricardo Baca Joins Marijuana Industry Publication mg Magazine as National Cannabis Columnist ​ ​ A 20-Year Media Veteran and Subject of Rolling Papers, Baca Asks mg Readers ​ ​ ​ ​ What They Want to See in the Recurring Monthly Print and Online Column DENVER, Colorado—May 30, 2018—Ricardo Baca, veteran journalist and founder of ​ award-winning news site The Cannabist, is joining national cannabis magazine mg as its ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ brand-new National Cannabis Columnist, mg owner CANN Media Group and Grasslands: A ​ ​ ​ ​ Journalism-Minded Agency announced today. "We're extremely pleased to have the opportunity to debut Ricardo's column in mg magazine,” ​ ​ said editor-in-chief Tom Hymes. “As prognostications about the industry come face-to-face with ​ ​ reality over the coming months and years, we'll need thoughtful voices to help guide the journey. Ricardo will surely provide one such voice, and we hope our readers appreciate engaging with him as much as we do." A 20-year veteran of daily newspapers including The Denver ​ Post, Mr. Baca approached his ​ new editors about crowdsourcing the new column’s topical approach and subject matter—so instead of making that decision in an editorial vacuum, Mr. Baca and the mg team are asking the ​ ​ magazine’s readers what kind of content they’d like to read from the publication’s newest columnist. Mr. Baca is prepared to delve into the trickiest cannabis conundrums of the modern world in the new column—from the industry’s looming commercialization to columns that would break down the many different cannabis markets across the country from Nevada to Colorado to D.C. In his first column, Mr. Baca encourages readers to reach out on Twitter (@bruvs) or email ([email protected]) with ideas for the kind of column they want to see every month in mg. ​ ​ ​ ​ As Mr. Baca writes in the latest issue, currently on newsstands and online at mgretailer.com: ​ ​ “What a great experiment this could be! Writer and readers, ideating and conversing together to determine the direction of a column before the column gets started in earnest. What a triumph of modern technology and thoughtful communication this could be.” When Mr. Baca founded groundbreaking site The Cannabist, he instituted multiple initiatives ​ ​ and columns entirely based on reader feedback—including a popular recurring column on at-home cultivation and an initiative that transformed The Cannabist Show into an audio-only ​ ​ podcast, thus expanding on its roots as a five-camera television production. Since leaving The Denver Post in late 2016, Mr. Baca has grown into one of the legal cannabis ​ ​ industry’s most trusted thought leaders, using his training as a print journalist to create Grasslands, a journalism-minded public relations and communications agency serving highly regulated industries like cannabis, hemp and cryptocurrency. The first mg column that will reflect readers’ feedback will run in the August 2018 issue of the ​ ​ publication. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Shawna McGregor at 917-971-7852 or [email protected]. ​ ​ ### About CANN Media Group Based in Los Angeles, CMG is a national media organization providing business-to-business services to the cannabis industry. With more than 25 years experience in B2B markets, CMG has become the definitive resource for the cannabis business marketplace. The company is known for its progressive journalism and photography about the people, plants, and products that fuel the unprecedented growth of an industry. mgretailer.com ​ About Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency Grasslands helps clients in a variety of industries with informed public relations, thoughtful ​ content marketing, contextual social media, top-notch thought leadership work, impactful newsletter campaigns and compelling event execution. The Content Team, led by 20-year newspaper veteran Ricardo Baca, has nearly 45 years of top-level journalism experience at outlets including The Denver Post, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Rocky Mountain News, The Daily ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Beast and elsewhere. The Public Relations Team, led by 20-year New York City agency veteran ​ Shawna McGregor, has nearly 35 years of high-level communications experience with clients including People magazine, IKEA North America, K12 Inc. and the American Wind Energy ​ ​ Association. Media Contact: Shawna McGregor Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency [email protected] 917-971-7852 .